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November 10, 2010

Balili River

I always believed that La Trinidad now exists because of the Balili River. I believe that the very first inhabitants of this fertile valley were attracted to this place because of the river. I have in my mind the picture of a young Igorot man standing on its banks a couple of centuries ago saying to himself:”This river is good. The valley around it is fertile. I will bring my family here and I'll claim this land as my own. I will raise a family here.”. So the young Igorot man traveled back to his village, gathered his family and started the journey to the fertile valley with a river running through it. And they became the very first people of this now strawberry-filled valley.

Back to the year 2010. I cross the Balili River everyday. When I say cross, I don't wade through its murky waters, I use a bridge of course. I always take a moment to pause and admire it for what it is. But, cliché as it may sound, the river is dead. No fish. No tilapia. Nothing. All it's good for is being a source of irrigation for the flower, vegetable and strawberry farms lining its banks.

Wouldn't it be nice to you know grab a fishing pole one Sunday morning and head over to the banks of the Balili River and fill a pail with fresh and squirming tilapias? The only news I've heard about fishing in this part of the world for the last few months was about our Congressman Domogan fishing on the Burnham Lake.

Somebody emailed us asking for the lyrics of the Mankayan hymn. We're not sure what he's asking for because we don't know if the...

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